LatinNews Daily - 17 February 2025

*Mexico’s Tourism Minister Josefina Rodríguez Zamora has announced that Mexico welcomed 45m tourists in 2024, a 7.4% increase from 2023 and a return to levels seen prior to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. Rodríguez highlighted that Mexico is the sixth most visited country in the world, noting that it is an aim of President Claudia Sheinbaum to become the fifth most visited country by 2030, as outlined in her economic plan, Plan México. Rodríguez stated that the tourism sector generated US$32.96bn in 2024, marking a 7.4% rise from 2023 and 34% growth since 2019. Tourism accounted for 8.6% of Mexico’s GDP in 2024, with the tourism GDP up 4.4% year-on-year. The tourism industry also generated 4.9m direct jobs in 2024, with Rodríguez stating the sector was the top employer of young people and the second largest for women. To further boost tourism and cement its position as one of the world’s top five destinations, Rodríguez announced that Mexico will participate in 14 international fairs this year. Sheinbaum celebrated the results, stating, “Mexico is trending worldwide, and everyone wants to visit”.